Kōrero: Fires and fire services
Being trapped in a fire is the stuff of nightmares. When fires get out of control they can destroy property and take lives. New Zealand’s most deadly fire was in Ballantynes department store in Christchurch in 1947, when employees were trapped on the upper floors.
He kōrero nā Nancy Swarbrick
Te āhua nui: Painting of the Lyttelton fire of 1870, by J. Sanderson
He kōrero whakarapopoto
Useful but dangerous
Before electric power, fire was needed for cooking, heating, lighting (candles and lamps), and other household tasks. Steam engines and trains were powered by fire, and fire was used to clear land for farming.
However, fires sometimes got out of control. There were serious fires in rural areas, and in towns and cities. Because most buildings in New Zealand were made of wood, they burned easily.
Later, fires could be caused by electrical faults, car crashes and chemical explosions.
Historic fires
- In 1879, a fire in buildings in Dunedin’s Octagon killed 12 people.
- In 1901, five people died in a fire in Auckland’s Grand Hotel.
- In 1942, 37 women died in a fire at Seacliff Mental Hospital, north of Dunedin. The patients couldn’t escape because they were locked in.
- In 1947, a fire swept through Ballantynes department store in Christchurch, killing 41 people – the most to die in a New Zealand fire.
Early fire brigades
The first volunteer fire brigades were started in the 1850s, and from the 1860s there were some professional firefighters.
The first fire engines were pulled by horses. The Wanganui Fire Brigade got the first motorised steam fire engine in Australasia in 1903, and most brigades had them by the 1920s. Piped water, telescopic ladders and automatic alarms helped make fighting fires easier.
Fire Service and Fire and Emergency New Zealand
Local volunteer and professional fire brigades were combined to become the New Zealand Fire Service in 1976. The Fire Service was incorporated in Fire and Emergency New Zealand in 2017.
As well as putting out fires, Fire and Emergency encourages fire safety and prevention, and helps at crashes, chemical spills, rescues and other emergencies.
Firefighters
In 2023 there were 8,547 volunteer and 1,807 professional firefighters in New Zealand. They need to be physically fit and strong, and must pass practical and theory tests before they are fully qualified.
Me pēnei te tohu i te whārang
Nancy Swarbrick, Fires and fire services, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/mi/fires-and-fire-services (accessed 26 November 2025).
He kōrero nā Nancy Swarbrick, i tāngia i te 10 March 2010.